A wounded veteran donated a new home in Land O’ Lakes

LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. (WFLA) — The community of Land O’ Lakes gathered Saturday to mark the moment when the ribbon was cut for the last completed home at Let Us Do Good Village.

It’s a new mortgage-free community for the families of fallen first responders and catastrophically wounded veterans.

The house is gifted to US Army Sergeant First Class Sualauvi Tuimaleali’ifano. He, his wife and children got their first glimpse of their new home on Saturday morning.

“I just want to do my best to give back and make sure it wasn’t given in vain,” he said.

In July 2007, just a month before the end of his third tour of duty, Sergeant First Class Tuimaleali’ifano was wounded and left paralyzed from the chest down and without feeling or function.

His new home is the first mortgage-free smart home in Let Us Do Good Village.

The entire house was custom built to be wheelchair accessible from the shower to the kitchen to the front door.

“I hated going for help,” said Sergeant First Class Tuimaleali’ifano. “I hate that someone else has to do it for me.”

“I was always the one who had things to do for others,” he continued. “I’m glad; I’m thrilled.”

This was made possible by many generous donors and the Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit organization that “helps America’s Heroes by providing Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children with mortgage-free homes and building custom smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and.” first responder. We are also committed to eliminating veteran homelessness and helping victims of major U.S. disasters.”